Maryland Athletics 2021 Hall of Fame Spotlight: Paula Infante

The University of Maryland field hockey program is one of the NCAA’s greatest programs regardless of sport, with 26 conference championships and eight national championships. 

Much of the success is credited to head coach Missy Meharg, the school’s all-time winningest coach regardless of sport. But every time the program’s success is brought up, Meharg quickly shifts the focus to the amazing players she has been fortunate to coach.

One of those players is Paula Infante, a two-time National Player of the Year, who would immediately become one of the most dangerous players on the field. Now, Infante finds herself in rare air as she becomes the latest field hockey star to enter the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame. 

“It is an honor to be sharing specifically with this class of 2021, which many I know or heard of during my time at Maryland,” Infante said. “Athletes or coaches who were fundamental to the growth of their programs or to set them apart from the rest of the others. It's amazing to be considered one of them and be part of this prestigious group of athletes.”

Infante, a native of Chile, achieved one of the rarest collegiate feats possible as she was a four-time First Team All-American during her four years at Maryland. Infante’s Terp teams compiled an astounding 83-14 record during her storied career. 

She was awarded the Honda Sports Award as the nation’s top player in 2005 and 2006 and became the school’s first-ever multiple-time recipient of that award. Infante led the Terps to back-to-back NCAA titles in her final two seasons in College Park in 2005 and 2006, cementing her legacy as one of the greatest athletes the school has ever seen.

While listed as a midfielder, Infante played virtually every position for the Terps and was willing to be deployed in any way Meharg saw fit. It was that level of selflessness and sacrifice that allowed Maryland to maximize its potential. Every day she woke up with the same mantra of “train hard, play hard,” and it carried over to every training session and every match.  

Field hockey has always been one of Infante’s greatest passions, so to be able to play it at Maryland and share the same alma mater as so many other great players makes the honor mean that much more. 

“It is an honor to be part of this incredible and most decorated program, to have met the friends, players, and coaches that I did throughout my years at Maryland,” Infante said. “To be part of this amazing program is the biggest honor. I believe my teammates made it possible for me to shine on the field. I was able to share with some of the best players of the country or overseas, and each player brought something to the team, which made us always be on the top of the NCAA.”

As a Chilean citizen, Infante’s collegiate career in the United States was never a given as the process was difficult, and it was unlikely a college coach would reach out to her. 

The unlikely became a reality as Meharg recruited Infante to join the Terps, and it was then that the lifelong relationship was built. 

“I think Missy runs an incredible program, where diversity and international culture are always present, which makes all the foreigners feel welcome and call it home for as long as you are there,” Infante said. “Maryland has a great balance between field hockey, academics, and culture. Missy gives you the confidence and assurance that Maryland will bring the best out of each student-athlete, and that for an international player is very important.”

Infante’s recruitment was different than most student-athletes as she wasn’t overly familiar with the NCAA or American colleges, let alone Maryland. She could also only communicate with Meharg and other Maryland personnel through email and phone calls. 

Since she is so close with her family, Infante talked over the decision with her entire family and allowed it to be a family decision. Every member of the family is athletically inclined, with all of them playing field hockey growing up. 

To maximize her potential, the Infante family knew that Paula had to go to Maryland.

After her time in college, Infante returned home and became the captain of the Chilean National Team. Infante medalled at two major tournaments throughout her career, winning bronze at the 2009 Pan American Cup and the 2011 Pan American Games. 

Now, Infante returns to College Park as a Hall of Famer. Now not just being known as a legendary field hockey player, but an iconic Terp regardless of sport. 

“It is an honor to be sharing specifically with this class of 2021, which many I know or heard of during my time at Maryland,” she said. “Athletes and coaches are fundamental to the growth of their programs, and it’s amazing to be considered one of them and to be part of this prestigious group of athletes.” 

Maryland is where Infante got to hone her craft, but it’s because of the environment and the culture cultivated by the entire athletic department that made it into a home. College Park will now forever be Infante’s second home as she is honored as one of the University’s greats. 

Infante will become the first-ever Chilean-born Hall of Famer in Maryland Athletics history, and the significance of that is not lost on her. When people trek through the halls of the XFINITY Center and see Infante’s name on the Hall of Fame, she wants other foreign-born student-athletes to see a role model. 

When it comes to everyone else, Infante wants people to understand the sacrifice it took and the incredible teammates that it took for her to reach these heights.

“It would be hard for people to understand all the effort that it takes,” she said. “But if they stop and at least wonder how a Chilean field hockey player made it to Maryland and is now hanging with the best of the best of the Terps, they might grasp what it took to get there.”